Bergenfield, NJ Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Height limit
- 2.5 feet within 10-25 ft of roadway
- Cure period
- 10 days after notice
- Notice method
- Registered mail from Borough Clerk
- Enforcement
- DPW cuts, cost billed as tax lien
- Penalty
- Up to $25 per day
- Applies to
- Any land in the Borough
Summary
Bergenfield requires every owner or tenant to keep brush, hedges and other plant life within 10 feet of any roadway, and within 25 feet of a roadway intersection, cut to no more than two and a half feet. Uncut vacant lots get a written notice, then a Public Works crew cuts the growth and the Borough bills the owner through a tax lien.
The owner or tenant of any lands lying within the limits of the Borough shall keep all brush, hedges and other plant life growing within 10 feet of any roadway and within 25 feet of the intersection of two roadways, cut to a height of not more than 2 1/2 feet where it shall be determined necessary and expedient for the preservation of the public safety, within 10 days after notice to cut and remove the same. ... In any case where the Borough has cut and removed brush, hedges and other plant life, the Superintendent of the Department of Public Works shall thereafter certify to the Borough Council the cost thereof, and if the amount so certified is by resolution of the Council determined to be correct and reasonable, the Borough Clerk shall forthwith deliver a certified copy of the resolution to the Tax Collector. The amount so charged shall forthwith become a lien upon the lands from which the brush, hedges, and other plant life were cut and removed, and shall be added to and become and form part of the taxes next to be assessed and levied upon the lands.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 116, Brush, Grass and Weeds, applies to any lands lying within the limits of the Borough, so it reaches vacant and unimproved parcels the same as occupied ones. Section 116-1 sets the standard: brush, hedges and other plant life growing within 10 feet of any roadway, or within 25 feet of a roadway intersection, must be cut to a height of no more than 2 1/2 feet whenever necessary for public safety, within 10 days of notice. The Borough Clerk gives that notice by registered mail to the owner or tenant's last known address (§116-2).
If the owner or tenant does not comply, the Borough may send a crew from the Department of Public Works to cut and remove the growth under the Superintendent's direction (§116-3). The Superintendent then certifies the cost to the Borough Council; once the Council confirms the amount by resolution, the Borough Clerk forwards it to the Tax Collector, and the cost becomes a lien on the property, added to and collected with the property's next tax bill, bearing the same interest rate as delinquent taxes (§116-4).
Violations & Fines
Refusing or neglecting to cut after written notice is a separate offense for every day it continues, punishable by a fine of up to $25 per day under § 116-5. That fine does not replace the Borough's right to bill the owner for the actual cost of the cutting; the fine and the cost recovery are cumulative remedies the Borough may pursue at the same time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the weed-cutting rule apply to an empty, unimproved lot?
What happens if I ignore the notice to cut my lot?
Can the Borough fine me and still bill me for the cutting?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bergenfield
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